Months 21 and 22

I was going to try to fake it to make it look like I posted the last few months so that when you are older and you look back you wouldn't think I was a slacker or that I didn't care enough. Well, I am a bit of a slacker, but I certainly care a ton, so don't ever think that. We have been very busy the last few months, so let me tell you all about it. I am also just super bad at being dishonest, so I knew I would never get away with it, and I would feel bad, and I so enjoy writing these postings, that I didn't want to put any bad mojo into the mix.

Your transition from a baby to a little girl has become even more apparent the last couple of months. Your language skills have developed by leaps and bounds. You now speak mostly in sentences, be it very short ones, but you understand almost all that we say. Sometimes it's a bit of a shocker to your daddy and I that you understand precisely what is going on. We have really drilled into your head that you need to be careful about how hot your food is before you put it in your mouth. You are pretty diligent about blowing on your food before you eat it, and always ask us if something is hot. Sometimes when things aren't hot, you are so careful that you ask a few times and still blow on your food. At those times, Daddy always says to you, "Actually, it's not hot, it's warm." So, the other day Daddy sat down to eat with you and you said/asked if your food was hot. And then before he had time to answer you said, "Actually, it's not hot, it's warm." It's a pretty amazing funny thing to hear come out of your mouth, because most sentences sound like this: "Vivi go out?", "I'M COMING!!!!!", "Vivi down", "I want MORE!"

Speaking of wanting more, we went on vacation to your grandparents' place in Vermont at the beginning of July. Something magical happened there that transitioned you from The Baby We Plead With to Eat to the Little Girl With a Great Appetite Who Will at Least Try Anything Once. It might have been your age, or your grandmother's excellent cooking, or the change of venue, or who knows what, but it is a glorious thing that we are so happy about. You now eat just about anything we put in front of you, no more begging or pleading or trying 6 different foods with each meal, praying that you will deem one of them edible, but knowing that you will probably only eat yogurt.

Another funny thing that started in Vermont: both of your grandparents are a bit hard of hearing, and your grandmother often tries to get your grandfather's attention, but doesn't feel like he responds quickly enough. So she calls out his name, first in a normal voice, and then again, each time escalating in volume, so she goes, "tom, Tom, TOM!!!" Well, one day we were all visiting the Shelburne Museum, and Daddy noticed that whenever Grandpa would walk away you would call out to him, just as Grandma does. We all chuckled about it (and, by the way, your are pretty smitten with Grandpa Tom right now, as both of your Grandpas are with you). Then, the next week when we were home from vacation, I was making your dinner one night and you wanted my attention, instead of calling out "Mommy!!!" like you usually do, you started yelling, "tom, Tom, TOM!!!" That was when I realized that you didn't know that Tom is your Grandpa's name, you thought that you yell out TOM!!! when you want to get someone's attention!

You still love to sing, you sing all the time, while you are eating, before your nap, after your nap, and before you fall asleep. I love hearing you sing, and I hope that you will never grow out of this, but I know you will, so I am recording you so that we can play it back together some time and enjoy it.

Oh my! There is so much to say, I think I just need to add to this as I think of things, so that I post to you more often than I have been.

I do have a link to a photo shoot we had done with your Aunt Becca.
I keep meaning to post photos, but these will do in a pinch, they are at least only a month old!!:
Lyons family pictures July 3, 2009